A Closer Look with the Monitor

The North Dakota Military Gallery was envisioned as a world-class addition to the State Heritage Center in Bismarck, a place to honor veterans, preserve military history and attract visitors from across the country. But just one year after groundbreaking, construction has stopped. The project, which depends on a combination of public and private donations, has raised only a fraction of its fundrai...

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will open its doors to the public this Saturday on the 250th anniversary of the United States’ declaration of independence.   The library will explore the former president’s legacy and his transformational years in the Badlands of North Dakota in the 1880s. But it will also confront Roosevelt’s history of racist remarks and the policies he supported that...

The proposed JETx transmission line took two significant turns this week.  JETx is a proposed 92-mile-long, high-voltage electric transmission line connecting substations near Jamestown and Ellendale through Stutsman, LaMoure and Dickey Counties. Companies Otter Tail Power and MDU Resources say it’s designed to improve the reliability and capacity of the regional power grid.  On Tuesday, the North...

North Dakota continues to explore opportunities in emerging energy technologies, including advanced nuclear power. This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, reporter Jacob Orledge talks to host Craig Blumenshine about why state officials recently highlighted the Missouri River as the state's best source of water for potential nuclear energy projects. Orledge also discusses his new reporting abo...

Uncertainty around federal grants forced layoffs of some employees at the Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota and furloughs of even more. But Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach discusses how some of those workers are returning along with federal research dollars.  Plus, on Tuesday, North Dakota voters will decide a constitutional measure in the June 9th primary...

This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, Deputy Editor Jeff Beach talks to host Craig Blumenshine about some absentee ballots he saw get rejected in 2024 because of issues related to the voter’s signature.  Jeff explains why it’s important for voters who vote by mail to make sure they use a consistent signature when they apply for a ballot and again on the envelope as they submit their ballot....

The U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed more than $150 million in funding cuts to tribal colleges, universities and postsecondary programs. This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, host Craig Blumenshine speaks with Monitor reporter Mary Steurer about the proposed cuts , and what students and administrators at North Dakota tribal colleges say Tribal Nations would lose if the plan is a...

Rural grocers are facing growing pressures from changing customer habits, rising costs and workforce shortages.  This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, host Craig Blumenshine speaks with Monitor Deputy Editor Jeff Beach about food deserts, efforts to help grocery stores remain viable and the creativity of store owners to serve their communities.  A Closer Look with the Monitor is a partnersh...

This week’s episode explores two different efforts to address North Dakota’s shortage of workers: helping people get degrees faster and developing new housing in rural areas. Jeff Beach, deputy editor of the North Dakota Monitor, talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about the state’s new experiment with reduced credit bachelor’s degrees .  Monitor contrib...

A new website allows the public to view the financial interest statements of North Dakota officials and political candidates. Reporter Jacob Orledge talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about the new transparency requirements and six lawmakers who failed to meet the deadline . A Closer Look with the Monitor is available on major podcast platforms, or wher...

The ongoing war in Iran has disrupted oil supply, pushed prices higher, and injected uncertainty into markets around the world. Here in North Dakota, those shifts are being felt, but not always in ways people might think. North Dakota Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about why the Bakken isn’t seeing a surge in new drill...

Under state law, North Dakota residents cannot vote while incarcerated for a felony. They can vote after they’re released, however, as long as they meet all other requirements. People can also vote if they’re serving time for a misdemeanor, or if they’ve been charged but not convicted.  Volunteers with the League of Women Voters of North Dakota have noticed that many North Dakotans with criminal r...

It has been 75 years since oil was first struck near Tioga, an event that helped transform not just a small North Dakota community, but the trajectory of the entire state. North Dakota Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge talks with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street about how oil has shaped Tioga’s identity and North Dakota's economy – from boom and bust cycles to bill...

A legal fight over prescription drug pricing in North Dakota is now playing out in federal court, and at the center of it is a fundamental question.  Who actually benefits from a program designed to help low-income patients? A new state law aims to protect access to discounted medications through the federal 340B program, but pharmaceutical companies argue the law goes too far and may even be unco...

As the Applied Digital data center at Harwood takes shape, a new powerline and substation is needed to provide the electricity the AI-factory will need.  North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about his latest reporting on the Applied Digital project. A public hearing on the $75 million power system upgrades, wh...

An expanded property tax credit is proving to be popular with North Dakota homeowners, but a 3% cap on annual property tax increases is creating challenges for local governments. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about why the state now projects the expanded property tax credit will cost $20 million more than...

In the new edition of A Closer Look with the Monitor, reporter Jacob Orledge talks with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about two developments that could influence North Dakota's economy and financial future. First, a recent ruling from the North Dakota Supreme Court that could reshape how oil royalties are calculated and paid. Legal experts say the ruling co...

A North Dakota judge recently ordered Greenpeace to pay $345 million to the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline, an official order that came following a nearly yearlong tug-of-war over a Morton County jury’s verdict. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer catches up with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about the latest twists and turns in litigation i...

Delays in the federal immigration system are creating frustration for North Dakota residents seeking legal immigration and employers who have come to depend on immigrants. Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach and reporter Mary Steurer talk with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about changes in the legal immigration system and how the flow of immigrants has slowed....

A North Dakota man is among five people facing federal criminal charges related to investments in a cattle and beef marketing company that was determined to be a Ponzi scheme.  North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about the latest development in the fraud case estimated to have cost investors $220 million. Nor...

North Dakota has a small but growing number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention cases moving through federal court.  North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about emergency petitions recently filed in the state seeking court review of ICE detentions. It’s part of a broader national surge tied to in...

An unwanted byproduct of North Dakota’s oil field could be the key to unlocking a new industry in the state within the next few years.  An international company is proposing to begin extracting lithium , a key component of batteries produced for smartphones and other technology, from produced water by the end of 2027. It’s one of at least four similar projects in development in North Dakota. This...

A North Dakota ballot measure that would change voter-approved legislative term limits could face a challenge before the state Supreme Court. Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about a new lawsuit that could change what appears on the November ballot. North Dakota voters in 2022 approved a ballot measure that limits state l...

A southwest North Dakota hospital is at risk of closing due to severe financial trouble, but lawmakers are considering a bill this week that would give the hospital a lifeline. Three lawmakers introduced a bill designed to help the Jacobson Memorial Hospital Care Center in Elgin, North Dakota.  Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main St...

North Dakota lawmakers took final steps this week to prepare for a special session to authorize the spending of federal health care money. Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street , about why the Rural Health Transformation Program is a big deal for North Dakota. They talk about how the state plans to use the money to help rural co...